World Cup fans and Venezuela quake recovery in top photos from Latin America and Caribbean

July 3 - 9, 2026

Mexico and Brazil fans watched their teams lose to England and Norway in the World Cup knockout stage, while Argentines celebrated their 3-2 win over Egypt.

Venezuelans displaced by twin earthquakes two week ago recovered more bodies from the rubble.

Cubans made their way in the dark during an islandwide blackout.

This gallery was curated by photo editor Leslie Mazoch based in Mexico City.

AP photography: https://apnews.com/photography

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Fans watch the World Cup round of 32 soccer match between Argentina and Cape Verde in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, July 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Fans watch the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between Colombia and Switzerland on a terrace rooftop in Bogota, Colombia, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Sebastian Barros)

Fabricio Gutierrez, 16, recovers at Perez Carreno Hospital in Caracas, Venezuela, after his foot was amputated because of injuries he suffered when the apartment building where he lived in La Guaira collapsed during the earthquake, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Chilean social media influencer Ariel Osses works on covering his car with World Cup soccer album stickers, at a park in Santiago, Chile, Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

A Spiderman superhero statue decorates the Cholet building in El Alto, Bolivia, Tuesday, June 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Julio Ladera writes the name of his nephew after he found his body in the debris of buildings destroyed by earthquakes in La Guaira, Venezuela, Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Fans react after England defeated Mexico in the World Cup round of 16 in Mexico City, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (A) Photo/Ginnette Riquelme)

A replica of the Statue of Liberty stands behind clothes hanging to dry at a home on outskirts of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, June 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

People walk along a street using flashlights during a blackout in Havana, Cuba, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Residents recover items from homes damaged during the earthquakes in La Guaira, Venezuela, Monday, July 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

A Brazil soccer fan watches Brazil's World Cup match against Norway on a screen on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, July 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

PROVO, Utah (AP) — Lawyers for the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk plan to call a final witness on Friday as they try to raise doubts about the prosecution's case before it can go to trial.

A Utah judge is deciding whether prosecutors have enough evidence to put Tyler Robinson on trial on a charge of aggravated murder. Kirk, 31, was killed as he spoke to a crowd of thousands at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.

One of Robinson's attorneys, Michael Burt, tried to inject uncertainty into the case Thursday by challenging the reliability of ballistics tests on a bullet fragment recovered from Kirk’s body. Authorities sought to tie the fragment to the suspected murder weapon, but the results were inconclusive.

“Saying anything but inconclusive was inappropriate,” said Samantha Karner with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives.

Burt earlier in the week questioned the reliability of DNA evidence that investigators said linked Robinson to the scene. Experts say the science behind DNA testing is sound.

Robinson has not entered a plea. He turned himself in a day after the fatal shooting of Kirk, a close ally of President Donald Trump credited with helping galvanize young voters for the Republican in the 2024 election.

The defense said it would call a final witness to testify Friday, the final day of the weeklong preliminary hearing.

However, a decision from state District Judge Tony Graf won’t come until after Sept. 1, when he scheduled oral arguments in the matter.

Prosecutors on Thursday aired portions of a recorded interview with Robinson's roommate, Lance Twiggs.

The day after Kirk was shot in the neck, Robinson allegedly told Twiggs “he wishes he hadn’t done it,” a recording played in court revealed.

Later that same day — and only about an hour before turning himself in — Robinson posted “it was me at UVU yesterday,” in a chat room on the Discord social media platform, according to investigators and messages shown by prosecutors.

Defense attorneys unsuccessfully fought the public release of the statements from Twiggs and the chat room messages. They argued prosecutors would characterize the material as a confession, undermining Robinson’s right to a fair trial.

Prosecutors contend the shooting endangered others at Kirk’s campus event — an aggravating circumstance that could make the crime punishable by death under Utah law. Robinson also faces possible sentence enhancements based on claims by prosecutors that he targeted Kirk because of his political views.

Twiggs said in the April interview with prosecutors and investigators that Robinson sometimes talked about politics, including Trump. But Twiggs said he never heard Robinson talk about Kirk before the shooting. The defendant also did not talk much about gender issues or LGBTQ rights, Twiggs said.

Brown reported from Billings, Montana.

A law enforcement officer uses binoculars to watch from the roof of the Fourth District Courthouse in Provo, Utah, Thursday, July 9, 2026, before a preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, who is accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk. (AP Photo/Spenser Heaps)

Tyler Robinson, who is accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, listens during a preliminary hearing at the Fourth District Courthouse in Provo, Utah, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Spenser Heaps, Pool)

A video interview with Lance Twiggs, Tyler Robinson's roommate and reported romantic partner, is shown during a preliminary hearing for Tyler Robinson, who is accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, at the Fourth District Courthouse in Provo, Utah, Thursday, July 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Spenser Heaps, Pool)

Charlie Kirk's parents, Kathryn, and Robert Kirk, right, arrive at the Fourth District Courthouse in Provo, Utah, for a hearing for Tyler Robinson, accused in the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, Thursday, July 9, 2026 (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)